Mackenzie Beltran is entering her fourth year at the University of Windsor and is pursuing both a Bachelor of Music (Honours) Degree and a Bachelor of Education degree. She is fully bilingual and has a diverse background of Scottish, Irish, French, and Filipino heritage. At the University and within our community, she has been afforded multiple opportunities to practise her skills as both an educator and musician. Mackenzie is a trained classical guitarist and pianist. She has performed in open streets Windsor, the Windsor-Essex County Remembrance Day service, Flags of Remembrance, and the annual veteran’s luncheon. She is also an instructor of guitar, ukulele, piano and runs the toddler classes at Sonata Piano Studio.Once she finishes her Bachelor of Education degree, she looks forward to a career in education teaching French and Music. Mackenzie firmly believes that hard work, dedication, and passion give her the drive to pursue her dreams; this is something that she would love to share with the young people in this community. She is a head teaching assistant for effective writing at the University and has fulfilled multiple Ignite experiential positions for the School of Creative Arts. Mackenzie demonstrates her love of community with her volunteer work involving local veterans with the Windsor Historical Society.

Mackenzie values the opportunity to represent her hometown of Tecumseh. She is very proud of the community and is blessed to call it home. She has a passion for being involved within the community and wants to highlight her appreciation for educators. Mackenzie desires to cultivate awareness and passion in our community for the contributions of our veterans, and the very important role of music in all of our lives.

This global pandemic has robbed us of normalcy for the last two years and has increased mental health issues amongst our citizens. What better way to help to eliminate these stressors than to add some music to our lives as an avenue of articulation and support. These are the common bonds that bring our community together; we must take care of one another, share our talents, and educate young people about a sincere appreciation for our veterans. Mackenzie believes that it is essential to give voice to these important ideals and would love the opportunity to be that voice and share her talents in order to advance peace in our community.